Mad Pierrot is a tribute to Batman and Disney, even with the comic-book building shots in the beginning scenes. Pierrot is a cross between the Joker and the Penguin, and the theme park "Space Land" is a take-off of Disney land. The technique of using shadows when Spike is beat up is also comic-book style. I still cringe when I watch it.
There is more development of Spike and Faye's relationship. Even though Faye is mean to Spike and eats his tangerine, she cares for him. She does not want him to find out about the email because she knows he will go. She tries to prevent him, but he happens to be standing behind her. So Spike teases her and says, "Maybe this is the one...The one I won't come back from." The look on Faye's face is priceless. But he smirks, and says he was joking. This foreshadows the end when Spike does leave for the one he won't come back from. For now, Faye just calls him a lunkhead. She can't stop him, so she follows him.
Even though Faye came to help him, it's debatable if she did help him or not. Personally, I don't think her presence affected anything there, but it did show that she cared enough about Spike to risk her life to help him. That must count for something. But it was Spike's two-colored eyes that save him. They reminded Pierrot too much of his torture and gave Spike the upper hand.
Comment by Morgan on 1:43 am 09 May 2009:
When I'm rewatching the series, this is the episode I kind of dread watching but look forward to. The animation in the whole thing had the quality upped it seems, over the usual episode quality.
Just a little more stylized and violent and creepy than your average episode of Bebop, and it's awesome for it.